WHO has launched the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group (STAG) on the SPECS 2030 initiative to act as an advisory body on refractive error and glasses access. The new WHO-led advisory group is the first global STAG on the matter and will help shape strategies, policies and research to assist countries in achieving the global eye care target of a 40% increase in the proportion of people with access to appropriate glasses by 2030.
Uncorrected refractive error is the leading cause of vision impairment globally. In recognition of the large unmet need for care, coupled with the fact that a highly cost-effective intervention exists (i.e. glasses), WHO Member States endorsed the first-ever global target for refractive error at the Seventy-fourth World Health Assembly in 2021.
The SPECS 2030 initiative calls for coordinated global action amongst all stakeholders with the mission to support Member States with the achievement of this target. Dr Bente Mikkelson, WHO Director for Noncommunicable Diseases, Rehabilitation and Disability, said at the launch of the imitative in May 2024, "The SPECS 2030 initiative marks a significant milestone in combatting uncorrected refractive error, commonly known as short-sightedness or long-sightedness, which is the leading cause of vision impairment in both children and adults."
She added, "Globally, it is estimated that over 800 million people who need a pair of glasses do not have access to them."
Following a call for expressions of interests, WHO has appointed 16 members to the STAG on SPECS 2030. Members serve for a period of 2 years in their personal capacities to represent the broad range of disciplines relevant to addressing uncorrected refractive error.
Members of the STAG on SPECS 2030
- Mr Jayanth Bhuvaraghan, Singapore
- Dr Miriam Cano, Paraguay
- Dr Megan Collins, United States of America
- Prof Hannah Faal, Nigeria
- Dr Michael Gichangi, Kenya
- Mr Peter Holland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Prof Dean Jamison, United States of America
- Mr Iain Jones, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Prof Lisa Keay, Australia
- Prof Asad Khan, Pakistan
- Mrs Elizabeth Kurian, India
- Prof Minghui Ren, China
- Dr Sareh Safi, Islamic Republic of Iran
- Prof Ningli Wang, China
- Dr Warapat Wongsawad, Thailand
- Mr Michel Zaffran, France
